On Screen Manitoba

The Janet Crystal Yorga Memorial Bursary supports one producer/writer team, with a feature-length project in development, for the WIFT-T Development Incubator—a four-day, small group workshop in Toronto.

To be eligible for the bursary, at least one person in the applicant team (writer or producer) must be a woman, and both team members must be residents of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta or British Columbia. The bursary covers round-trip economy flights and the full program fee.

Taking place June 19-22 in downtown Toronto, the WIFT-T Development Incubator is a national competitive program designed to kick-start market-driven feature films and support the next generation of Canadian feature film professionals. Up to six producer/writer teams receive the opportunity to work with Canadian and international producers, development executives and story editors on multiple aspects of feature film development—from writing, to financing, to marketing and distribution. In addition, each team is matched with a renowned story editor appropriate to their project for approximately three months of services aimed at strengthening the story and increasing the marketability of the script.

About Janet Crystal Yorga
Born in Rockglen, Saskatchewan, Janet Crystal Yorga was a creative writer and entrepreneur with a passion for storytelling. She had completed a number of feature film scripts when she died of breast cancer on March 30, 2010, at the age of 43. This bursary was created by Janet’s husband to honour her gift for writing, her determination in pursuing her passion under adverse circumstances, and her commitment to bringing more Prairie-inspired and Western Canadian voices to the national stage. Click here to read a letter from last year’s recipients.

Application Deadline | Monday March 19, 5PM EDT

Guidelines pdf
Application form doc

Application forms are available from the WIFT-T website or from your provincial production association/agency website. Completed application packages must be submitted digitally to wift@wift.com. For more information, contact Renee Robinson at rrobinson@wift.com.